What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted, "And whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind"?

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The questioner : What is the meaning of:

And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.

من أحيا نفسا فكأنما أحيا الناس جميعاً

[Al-Ma'idah 5:32]

? And if a person causes the death of another person and then causes the saving of another person, is that a kaffarah (expiation) for the first?

The Shaykh : The meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted:

And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.

وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

[Al-Ma'idah 5:32]

This is what Allah wrote upon the Children of Israel, as He the Exalted said:

Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.

مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

[Al-Ma'idah 5:32]

And if a person kills a soul without right and then saves another soul that is not deserving of being killed, then the second is not a kaffarah (expiation) for the first in terms of what is obligatory in the expiation for killing. However, in terms of reward, the matter is up to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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